Silicon Valley energy startup said in documents, viewed by The Wall Street Journal, that the tax credit extension is a “prerequisite for an IPO.”

Bloom Energy Corp., facing a potential IPO roadblock, tapped board member and former Secretary of State Colin Powell to talk with House Speaker Paul Ryan to urge extension of a tax credit key to its financials, according to hacked emails posted at the website DC Leaks.

The Silicon Valley alternative-energy company, which has raised $1.2 billion from prominent venture-capital firms, makes fuel-cell power generators for businesses....